Riky Rick’s mom breaks her silence

Award-winning Mzansi artist, Riky Rick’s mother, Louisa Zondo, has broken her silence over her son’s tragic death.

Zondo is currently trekking to Mount Everest with Riky Rick’s aunt Xoliswa Kakana while reminiscing about his life. Louisa is documenting her trek on social media, with posts written addressed to her son.

Riky Rick, real name Rikhado Muziwendlovu Chifaro Makhado, died last month after committing suicide at his home in Waterfall Estate, Johannesburg.

In her first post as she embarked on her trek to Mount Everest, Zondo wrote:

“Dearest MaRiky. It’s early hours of the morning on 23 March 2022 – 01H03, Nepali time, to be exact. 23 February 2022 is the day on which your spirit and body separated.

“I am lying on my back in a warm bed in the Bhudda Lounge, Phakding, Nepal. I’m in Nepal because I am on my way walking to Mount Everest Base Camp, MaRiky. I’m awake at this hour because I’m reflecting on life, death and the meaning of everything.

“Since your death last month, I’ve been starkly aware of the need in me to make sense of where I am and how I am called to be. I decided to proceed with this trek to Mount Everest Base Camp not only because I knew you would want me to do so, but also because I imagined it would present the perfect opportunity, over 14 days, for me to wrestle with the questions – (i) What is the moment; and (ii) How does this moment call me to be.

“I am very unskilled at staying with an enquiry – any enquiry – and going deep into it. You know this because during your 34 years of life on this side, you watched me “busy-body” myself through many crises.

“In fact you were the first person to really teach me to sit with challenges and “encounter them” without rushing to offer what I perceived to be solutions…without needing to wipe away the challenge. For this reason, my Mount Everest Base Camp walk will be embodied in a long conversation with you.

“I imagine that the conversation will not be neat and orderly and yet all else is unclear to me and the conversation might just present itself as and when it emerges.

In her latest update posted on Saturday, Riky Ricky’s mother wrote:

“Dear MaRiky, the experience of yesterday was beautiful. Aunt Xoli and I walked with our trekking team after connecting with them on Monday evening, 22 March. It was our Day 2 of the Mount Everest Base Camp trek.

“We left Phakding at about 09:00 and headed for Namche Bazaar. It was a 9 hour trek filled with laughter, cameradie, silence, and physical anguish of the body. We ascended from the altitude of 2600m to 3440m above sea level.

“I feel enormous gratitude that all of us in the team ended the day in high spirit and eager to treat our exhausted bodies to much-deserved rest.

“As I took in the unspeakable wonders of the mountain, the sense of you being part of it all was so real MaRiky…I laughed out loud and shouted out your name.

“I still hold this huge awareness of your presence. It brings up an inexplicable warmth and softness in me. Being like this brings up the unforgettable experience of gazing at a feeding baby in utter love.

“When baby takes in the gaze the response is a cooing accompanied by the trickling of milk down the side of baby’s mouth as the gaze orbits baby’s primal instinct to feed. Such moments were, for me, always whispers of God’s presence… Love’s presence.